Faults:

Everything that could go wrong with this car probably did.

The wheel studs wore out and needed to be machined. The mag wheel were exotic and could not be sourced locally.

One headlight had to be imported from Italy. That cost me 200 dollars aud.

Shock absorbers also costed me a fortune to replace. I think they were McPherson struts.

The engine fell out due to stress fractures in the firewall.

The thermatic fan would cut out, frying the motor.

This all happened within six months of owning it.

General Comments:

The greatest mistake I ever made in my life was to buy one of these things. It looked like a nice hatch. It sounded awesome with a real sporty note. But after a short while things began to break and fall off.

But the car was so gutless. Once, with three passengers, it could not scale a hill and had to be driven down in reverse because it didn't have the power to get to the top.

Parts for this car cost me a fortune.

Even though I sold it for scrap fifteen years ago, I still awaken sometimes at night, in a lather of sweat, thinking that I still own it. The horror of what it cost me has never gone away. Every now and then I think it's still out in my driveway and I shudder.

Faults:

Timing belt broke (my fault; didn't change the old one soon enough)

Rear shocks were poor, needed replacing

Clutch cable broke

Rust - it rusted away before my eyes.

General Comments:

It was very fun to drive; I loved the sound of the engine; the handling was brilliant.

A lovely little car.

Faults:

The front sway bar mounts rusted out of the body. My brother had a minor accident because of this.

This was fixed with relative ease though.

The engine finally blew up, after about three years.

The body rusted out.

General Comments:

There was a relatively huge amount of space in both the front and the rear of the vehicle.

It drove well and gave fairly good economy.

This was my first car and I was very sad to see it pass away, in the way it did.

Faults:

Brakes tend to have excessive travel. Various brake failures due to poor maintenance.

Original Weber 32DMTR carburettor was very temperamental: hot starting problems, poor economy.

Original four-speed gearbox had noisy bearings, non-existent synchro on first gear.

Original 1290cc engine dropped a valve (head separated from stem.)

Persistent knocks and looseness in the front suspension/steering despite replacement of all bushes/balljoints.

General Comments:

I have heavily modified this vehicle since inheriting it from my father (as a family car, it covered many thousands of reasonably trouble-free kilometres).

There was a small amount of rust in some areas - under rear side windows, boot corners in particular. There was more serious rust in a windscreen pillar, and the box section of the front radius-rod mounting (where there would be an anti-roll bar if one was fitted.)

During the rebuild, many items were available surprisingly cheaply. It was easy to fit a 1498cc Fiat Strada engine, a Fiat Uno cylinder head, and a specially-built 128 gearbox with additional fifth-gear housing. Twin Weber 40DCNFs were also easy to install and trouble-free once set-up correctly.

The interior parts are almost impossible to find in good condition (example: the dashboard top cracks readily) and the driving position is not especially comfortable. In particular, the seats and seatbelts are poor, the gearchange is heavy and notchy, and the curved floor means your ankles are awkwardly twisted. It is noisy, especially in 4-speed form where the engine is running at 4200 RPM for 100km/h.

Electrical items have been very reliable, switches etc. are fine. Headlights give excellent output.

Body panels are solidly built and fit well.

I have had ongoing problems with the suspension setup. First the alignment was wrong and couldn't be set back to standard. It was evenly wrong all round which suggests that replacement parts may have been different to original. I further modified the suspension by changing dampers and cutting springs. I tried other springs that were recommended. In total, I tried three different setups. The ride quality is now poor, the steering feels responsive but very heavy.

On a racetrack, the car is extremely disappointing. The acceleration and top speed is excellent, but the level of grip and ease of handling is poor when compared with newer cars. For example, it is much more powerful and faster than my 1986 Fiat Uno 60, yet it is the same speed on a racetrack because of the poor cornering ability.

I would seriously recommend not modifying the 128, but instead choosing a later model, which will also be less rusty and more comfortable to drive.

Faults:

Nothing went wrong while I had this car.

General Comments:

My Fiat 128 Sedan was a great little car to own. Although it was only 1100cc it performed surprisingly well and also returned good fuel efficiency.

The Fiat was a fun, safe car to drive and made for a unique, fresh change from all the other small cars my friends were driving. I would recommend this car as a good second car to own, although they are now becoming obselete and cannot be considered a classic like their coupe brother.